As part of our mandate to invest in African scientists, we recently funded a number of African scientists to attend the African Quaternary, Environments, Ecology and Humans (AFQUA) congress.

Taking place at the National Museum of Kenya in Nairobi from July 14th to 22nd, this international congress brought together developed and developing world researchers to discuss progress in studies of the Quaternary period (the last 2.6 million years) in Africa.

The congress aims to bridge regional divides and foster communication and collaboration at both regional and continental scales – all of which echo PAST’s belief in the transformative and connecting role of the origin sciences.

Alongside talks on subjects including palaeoclimatology, palaeoecology and archaeology, the congress also featured workshops that provided early career and developing researchers with the skills they need to develop and communicate their science in the modern research environment.

PAST’s educational theatre production, Walking Tall, was on its annual schools tour of Kenya and Tanzania and stopped by to perform to the delegates and from the positive feedback received it seems that this was a programme highlight!